Editorial: On RSVPs and How We Kicked Butt By Being Stern

RSVPs Make Me Sweat A Little

Does your heart race a little whenever you think of getting people to RSVP to your event? We recently had our staff organize a themed social at Nest / The Den, and like any event we had to fill the guestlist.

You know when you sense that you might have too little time to communicate with everybody about your awesome event? We learned from one of our team members that being open about your goals can really boost attendee excitement and commitment, and lead people to have a truly good time.

How honest are you willing to be?

You can decide for yourself here. Was this invitation too stern, or did it strike a chord with your heart strings? This was sent by one of our own organizers a week before the event came together, to give the invitees and our troops a kick in the butt.

Keep in mind this was for a “wear white” + aquatic theme party.

The Note Went Like This:

“Let’s level for a second about what this event is about. Sure the costumes can be tricky and there’s strangers every time you look at the growing attendance list – and yeah there’s comfort doing your regular Saturday routine with the same faces. We get it. We get events, and your routine.

Screw your routine.

We’ll tell you what this event IS NOT about – and here’s the secret: Don’t believe the costumes. Don’t believe the guestlist. Don’t believe the 7 foot projections of aquatic light beams and misty hazers. They’re just a distraction from what’s real. What’s real is being able to put aside opinions about what or who is GOOD on a Saturday by simply looking at your smartphone, or a Facebook Events page – and instead, looking up at the people who share in the idea that letting down your guard a little might be the most fun you’ve had. Period.

Theme parties are childish. We’ve heard this. And that’s the point – to be foolish together. A way to reconnect to a time when you and I could jump into a ball pit without having to care who was watching. Who you were with. Or what you were wearing. Because those things are distractions from what’s real. What’s real is you, and us and new faces finding foolishness together. Without the distractions.

We’re throwing these events because we’re fighting against this thing called adulthood and monotony.

We’re throwing these events because we’re tired of seeing frustration in a tired Toronto social scene.

Sometimes events feel like this (source: Reddit)

We’re throwing these events because we know you can have fun if everyone around you is having fun. And we’ve only ever been able to do this because you’re part of making this possible. Even if you don’t know it yet.

I don’t care if I don’t know you, or if we haven’t seen each other in a while, or you think you’ve changed or I’ve changed. Distractions. The whole point of this is to celebrate how closely we can connect over an aquatic theme with a glass of alcohol – and when it’s all done we’ll all wonder why this never happened earlier, and more often.

Our promise is that this is how it will always starts. With hesitation, with busy schedules, with gossip and always a bit of your effort. And that’s how it will always go. Some see it, some don’t – yet.

But when you show up, have a great time and the lights come on, and the alcohol wears off, you still get to keep on going exactly as you were – with a new sense of having found something real, along with the people who make this possible.

No club, or festival, or coffee shop will make this promise to you. Because it’s rare when events are thrown with you in mind. We don’t have a bottom line other than the heart you bring. Because we feel it too. That feeling is this theme party – so – We hope you find a moment among your distractions today, to ask yourself and your friends to join us in finding a better foolishness [at tomorrow’s event].”

The Moral of the Story

Our partnered venue hit their target goals, the party went swimmingly (with the help of our tireless volunteers and friends) and people came together for a great time.

The takeaway: we are reminded to always revisit a core vision. And no, we don’t mean this in any mystical way. It’s a reminder to keep goals in mind, and to be reminded of what you can offer for your event, client or friends. The better we bring ourselves, the more compelling we are to others – and we are also that much closer to the rewards behind the work (aka the sweat and tears) behind every production.

Do we really need to pull up statistics to say that, “yes, sometimes event planning can be a grind”? – We know that it can be easy to lose sight of why an event is important, especially when it’s a job for some of us. Once something becomes normalized, it tends to lose it’s pizzazz. Still, every event is an opportunity to bring a vision to reality that goes beyond the tried and true.

Hey and who knows – maybe if we rally enough of our Toronto counterparts we might start seeing more fully fleshed-out event concepts that are beyond free drinks and hors d’oeuvres (not that we won’t indulge when offered!), and we will start to see events and guests who act out of the best interests of the individual – enjoyment, passion or whatever you might want to call it. We hope you remember the core vision you started with, and continue to make great work that people feel and come to love. Even if it means you need to go out of your way to kick some ass.